Vaporizer



Oct. 17, 1950 A. J. HUcK 2,526,027

vAPoRIzER Filed March 5l, 1947 Fg@ d Mz. 40 d figg.

Pirenei oct. 17,1950

UNI-TED STATES PATENT] orifice VAPORIZ'E lfred J. uclx, St. Louis, Midi, assigner to nap- Monarch Company, Sit.l Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application March 31, 1947, serial No. 738,435 claims. (ci. 21;-113) This invention relates to a vaporizer and more yparticularly to a container for liquid medicament` f in the vaporizer and its relation to the rest of the vaporizer whereby efciency of vaporizationof the medicament is obtained.

One object of the invention is to provide a rned icament container mounted inside avaporizer so that it can contain liquid orvsemi-plastic medicament, with the steam from water vaporized in the vaporizer passing over the medicamentin such mannerthat it eiectively picks up the medicament vapors therefrom and discharges them,

together with 'thesteann from a discharge spout of the vaporizer.

Another object is to provide a medicament con-- tainer that lis in contact with the water so that the heat of the water caneifect v-aporizaton of the medicament inaddition to the heat of the steam rising from the water.

A further object is to provide a modied form of vaporizer wherein the medicament containing cup is clipped into thelid of the vaporizer, a further 'modied form wherein the medicament container is supported by a central pin from the bottom ofthe vaporizer, and a further modified form having stillva differenttypeof support, the last two forms holding the medicament out of the wa- Y ter so that only. thefsteam effects vaporization thereof'. Y With these and other objects in view, my inand combination Vofthe various parts of my de- Yvice whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully setforth= pointed n cutin my claims, andillustratedin the accornpanying drawings, in which: n i

Fig. l is a sideelevation, partly in section` Y showing one form of vaporizer and medicament container; 4

Fig. 2 is a similar view showinga suspended type of medicament container;A

Fig. 3 is asimilar view showing still another form wherein the medicament container is clipped in the lid of the vaporizer for support; and

Fig. 4 shows an arrangement wherein the meu .Y dicament containeris,supportedby a post-extended upwardly from the bottom of the vaporizer.

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral.k Hl to indicate'a container for water l2, andk Hi. alower section housing a heat-- ing element of the usual electric type for heating the water and vaporizing it. A lid I6 is provided which, in Fig. l, is designed to have a medicament container M insertedvbetween the container lll.r and the lid..A Y

The medicament container M has a bottom Wall Y land diverging side walls 20. The side walls 2!) terminate in a vertical cylindrical portion 22 havvvingan annular outwardly extending flange 24 adaptedfor supportingrthe medicament container @onthewater container l!) by resting on a bead 25A surrounding its upper edge. The medicament container M is shown as circular in shape although the specic shape is more or less immaterial, and the wall is provided with a plurality of steam escape openings 28. These are provided in the positions shown for permitting the l steam to flow over the top of the liquid medicament 3? contained within the walls I8 and 20, as

.shown by the arrows a. The vapor from the medicarnentl rises, asindicated by the'arrows b, to vmingle with-.the steam, and the medicament vaypors lare .li'scha'rgedv along with the water vapors through a spout 32, as indicated by the arrows c. In the form of device shown inFig. 2 a medica ment container M has the form of an elongated vertical cylinder extending to a position adjacent V`the heating element i4.

The upper end of the cylinder has a cross bar 34 provided with a hook u 3o vention consists in the construction,arrangement 35 tohook into a clip 38 suspended from the lid I6 as by a rivet 40. The medicament container M is thus removable by unhooking the clip 36 vfrom. the Yclip 358, and 'may contain a supply of n'iedicarnent,StilV which is in thermal contact with ,the hot water I2 by means of the metal tube wall of the medicament container M contacting the f water. V,Sincev the container M is relatively long, contact of the water therewith will occur until almost all of the waterV is evaporated, whereas in the Fig. lfo'rm of device water-to-medicament "'c'ontainer Contact ceases relatively sooner after fie. 'The head' 44 is adapted to frictionally en- Y the'water starts tov evaporate.

In Fig. 3 I show a medicament container M inthe form of a shallow cup having a central supporting pin ll2 provided with an enlarged head Y gage within three' spring clips 45 secured to the them serve toperrnit passage of steam as ndi.

lid I6 as bya rivet 48; The medicament container M vhas a plurality 'ofY fingers 50 adjacent the upper end thereof so that the spaces between cated bythear'iows a.

In Fig. l I show amedicarnent container M having a bottom wall 52an annular wall 54 and `a 'flange 58. The flange 5B ts inside the conn 'tainer l@ and is perforated as at 58 to permit passage-0f steam. Support is had for the medicament cotnainer M" through the medium of a pin Slljrivetedto the medicament container as at I ktq'gweuicl having its lower e'nd received in -a depression B4 of the bottom of the water container I9.

One of the problems in connection with a vaporizer is the provision of means for cleaning the gummy residue which normally tends to form in the bottom of the container l when the medicament is placed directly in the water. Cleaning is accomplished in my vaporizer by having the medicament containers removable so that they can be taken out and cleaned independently of the rest of the vaporizer.

Furthermore, there is no chance whatever of the gummy residue baking and caking inside the vaporizer body because even if the water l2 boils entirely away there is no direct contact of the medicament with the heated wall above the heating element it. The water recedes from the medicament containers of Figs. 1 and 2 and is always lower than the. .medicament containers of Figs. 3 and 4. There is no chance whatever of the medicament thus remaining in the container l0 where it will be baked by the heating element after the water vaporizes.

The medicament container is located either in or above the water being vaporized and at no time does the medicament come in direct contact with the heated bottom of the water container. The medicament container separates the medicament from the water which provides for ready cleaning of the medicament container and keeps the water container cleaner because there is no medicament in it that requires cleaning out. The medicament residue is thus protected against overheating when the water container runs dry. The medicament of course can be proportioned such that it is just sufficient for use with one iilling of water for the water container.

The temperature of the medicament left over after the water container runs dry cannot rise to cause undesirable smoking and caking as in the case where the medicament is added to the Water or permitted to drop into the water while the appliance is operating. The medicated steam generated by my vaporizer also maintains a more uniform medicament content than otherwise possible.

With the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 after the water level lowers below the bottom wall I8 of the medicament container is still maintained heated for vaporization of the medicament because of the steam passing up through the opening 28. The form in Fig. `2 keeps the medicament in contact with the water longer, whereas the arrangements of Figs. 3 and 4 depend upon steam heat entirely for vaporization. The diiferent medicament containers are thus adapted for medicaments that have diiferent temperatures of vaporization as well as for different designs of vaporizers. For instance a Vaporizer design incorporating a medicament cup of the type shown in Figures l and 2 would insure the medicated vapors are ejected soon after the appliance is energized, whereas a design incorporating a medicament cup of the type shown in Figs. 3 and 4 would permit the Vvapors to be emitted more uniformly and after a greater length of time during the operating cycle.

Having described several forms of my invention I may sum up the constructional features concerned by saying that the general idea is to have a cup design which has no openings in the area lled by the medicament. 1 In this way the medicament when placed in the vaporizer can be poured in without getting it on the users ingers and will not accidentally drop into the 4 water as with those types of medica-ment containers which are removable for filling. When medicament does drop into the water it causes undesirable fuming when the container runs dry and makes the container extremely diflicult t0 clean out thereafter. The holes or slots such as shown in Figure 3 at the top of the medicament cup are not necessary to permit passage of vaporized medicament to the steam as it is only necessary that the upper edge of the medicament container be spaced away from the bottom surface of the lid to permit the medicament vapors to come out of the cup and mingle with the steam vapors before they are ejected from the spout. This is practical because the Vaporization point of the medicament used is far below that of water.

The only major modification of this idea is to have two basic designs, one with the medicament container small in diameter but long as in Figure 2 so that its bottom Section extends down into the water when the container is full of water thus permitting faster heat conduction and therefore faster ejection of medicament vapors. The other modification is one in which the medicament cup is shallow but large in diameter and is mounted completely above the liquid as in Figures 3 and 4 so that uniform and longer medicament vaporization is achieved. Figure 1 illustrates a compromise between the two basic designs just referred to.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims such modied forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents as may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

l. A vaporizer comprising a vessel having a steam generating chamber, a cover therefor, a separable liquid medicament container located within said vessel and having means for holding liquid medicament, said medicament container substantially closing'the cross-section ,of said steam generating chamber and adapted to discharge vapors rising from such contained medicament into the steam rising from the steam generating chamber, said cover having a discharge opening above said medicament container, said medicament container having a series of steam passage openings entirely therearound above the medicament holding means for steam from said steam generating chamber to pass into the interior of the medicament container.

2. A vaporizer comprising a vessel having a steam generating chamber, a cover for said vessel having a discharge orice, a separable relatively shallow liquid medicament container substantially spanning said steam generating chamber and located within said vessel having means to hold medicament and to discharge vapors rising therefrom into the steam rising from the steam generating chamber and passing said container anddischarging through said discharge orifice, said discharge orice being located above said liquid medicament container and the container having an imperforate bottom portion and being open around substantially its entire circumference above said portion to the interior of said steam generating chamber.

3, In a vaporizer of the character described, a water containing vessel having a discharge opening, means for heating said vessel to thereby generate steam, a cover for said vessel, a medicament container located in said vessel below said discharge opening and said cover substantially closing the cross section of said vessel and adapted to discharge vapors rising from contained medicament into the ow of steam around the circumference of said container before it passes through said discharge opening to atmosphere, said medicament container being frictionally held by clips to Said lid.

4. In a Vaporizer of the character described, a Water containing vessel, means for heating said vessel to thereby generate steam, a cover for said vessel having a discharge spout, a medicament container located in said vessel below said discharge spout, substantially closing the cross section of said vessel and adapted to discharge vapors rising from contained medicament into the flow of steam before it passes through said discharge spout to atmosphere, means for supporting said medicament container suspended from said cover said medicament container having a serrated upper edge engaging said cover to provide steam passageways from said vessel into said medicament container and then through said spout to atmosphere.

5. In a vaporizer of the character described, a water containing vessel, means for heating said vessel to thereby generate steam, a cover for said vessel, a discharge opening on said cover, a medicament container located in said vessel below said cover and adapted to discharge vapors rising from contained medicament into the flow of steam from said vessel around'substantially the entire circumference of said container be- .l

REFERENCES CITED j The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,981,765 Weiss Nov. 20, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 367,371 France June 23, 1906 205,716 Germany Aug. 3, 1907 

